Al Maha takes you away from the bustle of Dubai
Lisa Smith finds life in the lap of luxury in Dubai goes down quite nicely, thanks very much.
It is not every day a girl can say she has had the pleasure of sharing a bedroom with David Beckham and George Clooney although both were long gone by the time I arrived at the luxurious Al Maha Resort and Spa – one of Dubai’s most breathtaking and best-kept secrets.
The desert-based hotel modelled on an ancient bedouin settlement is literally “a hideaway” nestled amongst the scorched red sand dunes of a national conservation park some 40 minutes drive from downtown Dubai.
And while thoughts of bedouins might conjure up being huddled under a canvas with little more than the stars for company, the Al Maha resort offers you the chance to rub shoulders with the real life variety of stars as well as those twinkling little gems dotted above in the frequently clear skies above this idyllic location.
The discreet location of the resort among acres of national park is itself perhaps the major reason why so many Hollywood A-listers, millionaire pop stars and sportsmen have chosen this five-star hotel over the more jet-set venues normally associated with a trip to Dubai.
Here it can seem a million miles away from the bustling city malls of downtown Dubai and the jostling more touristy area of Jumeriah Beach.
Guests at the Al Maha really do feel like they are away from it all with the only interruptions likely at the window of your luxury suite not paparazzi but the arabian oryx – a type of white antelope which gives the resort its name – al maya meaning oryx in arabic.
Our group was spending a day at the resort and was handed the keys to the presidental suite for a few short hours – just long enough to take a stroll of the grounds, sip a few champagne cocktails while relaxing in the incredible infinity swimming pool, while watching the antelope grazing a few short feet away and the odd eagle or buzzard hover overhead.
For a while Dubai and its fast-lane lifestyle with its mega-sized hotels, world’s largest shopping malls and cars the size of small houses seemed a distant memory. The Al Maha really is another world.
The resort is a conservation area and, as well as being home to more than 30 species of animals and more than 100 species of birds, is the home of one of the most beautiful creatures in the world – the Arabian stallions which we were treated to a sneak peak of at their corall before dinner.
I grew up around horses and it was a delight to see this pure-bred stock – horses which will go on to earn millions either in studs or for racehorse trainers the world over – galloping against the backdrop of the rust-red sands. Even Dubai’s own royal family select their horses from the Al Maha.
The resort is run by Emirates Hotels and Resorts with guests staying in suites usually for between three and five nights and often as an add on to a stay in one of the beach hotels in Dubai.
